Every time senior Katie Sebour visited her house in Costa Rica, she saw the poverty and struggles that the people living there faced. With the help of a family friend, Sebour found what she called “the perfect idea” for her Senior Project.
Sebour’s Senior Project was traveling to Costa Rica and donating her time, some toys, and $5,000. The donations she received went to a nutrition center named Cen Cartagena Santa Cruz that burned down in 2009.
“[The nutrition center] contains 47 kids and they barely have tables to eat on. My $5,000 goes towards the rebuilding of their eating area,” Sebour said.
Because the nutrition center was damaged, the eating area of the center is open to all kinds of bad weather, and the wooden tables for the kids to eat on are worn.
According to Sebour, her money will go towards replacing the tables, plus “building a roof over their head,” Sebour said.
Sebour’s family friend, Dervin Suarez, introduced her to a priest in Costa Rica named Father Ricardo.
“He picked the perfect project for me. If it weren’t for my connections, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far. Everyone’s been a huge help,” Sebour said.
Sebour says that she has completed most of her project. During JC’s spring break, Sebour traveled to Costa Rica.
“I did my entire project [during spring break]. I went to the nutrition center and donated the $5,000. I also gave the kids things like coloring books, puzzles, crayons, and a CD player that they desperately wanted. I’ve never seen so many thankful kids, honestly,” Sebour said.
Sebour said she learned life lessons through her Senior Project that most other high school students would never learn first-hand.
“It’s hard to understand and be thankful for what we have here in the U.S. when we may not know any different. It was awesome to know that I’m providing a roof over their heads. That’s what the kids needed most. We have a roof over our heads every day and we take that for granted,” Sebour said.
According to Sebour, she got the chance to give of her resources and receive something in return for her efforts through Senior Project.
“I was hoping to accomplish a sense of understanding and consideration towards these children. I also, within myself, wanted to use my talents and my gifts towards someone else, or in this case many others, that needed help,” Sebour said.
Sebour focused on her personality traits “like being considerate” for completing her Senior Project.
In return for her service, she received the gifts of “being blessed and having the opportunity to do a project like this,” Sebour said.
Stephanie Meadowcroft is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.